


The Ache of What Might Have Been

by pointyhats



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crime Fighting, F/F, Idiots in Love, Mistery too I guess, Mutual Pining, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Pippa and Hecate struggling to survive and figure out what's going on, Running Away, Unresolved Emotional Tension, living together out of necessity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-01-31 21:12:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18599509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pointyhats/pseuds/pointyhats
Summary: Thrown in the middle of a conspiracy, Hecate Hardbroom must fight her way through the hordes to stay alive.Far from Cackles and without a roof to sleep under, she finds herself lost, unaware of the next steps she ought to take.To her surprise, she is not the only one.





	1. Prologue

Pulling out the tie on her hair, Pippa sat down with a long sigh. She could feel the strain on her neck, the ache dragging itself lower, spreading towards her back and shoulders — the not so perfect trace of a rushed work day. And yet, she couldn't help being excited.

It was Thursday, after all.

And the best part of it was just about to begin, at any moment — as soon as Hecate Hardbroom decided to start the mirror call.

Pippa waited. She took her time readying herself for bed, making herself appear as cozy as she possibly could, prepared to let Hecate see her like this — comfortable. Close. Like in the old days.  
But as the minutes went by, she became less and less sure that Hecate was even interested in having their weekly chat, much less in seeing her as a friend. Her heart started doing funny things in her chest, and Pippa swore she felt it shrink, tug itself inside and become smaller at every tic of the clock.

And then a faint sound of heavy breathing made it all stop.

Pippa looked up, facing the mirror with a shine on her eyes that she almost resented. But instead of Hecate, Mildred Hubble was the one to nervously greet her, holding a small lantern, whispering apologies and regrets and rushed phrases that Pippa couldn't quite put together.

"Well-met, Mildred. It's great to see you, but—"

"Miss Pentangle, Miss Hardbroom is in danger!" the girl splurted out, and it was the first coherent phase Pippa caught on.

She sat upright.

Burying her nerves under a barely concealed facade of control, Pippa got closer to the mirror, pulling herself to the edge of the chair and curving her body forward with an urgency that she didn't bother to hide. She fought the urge to let herself look too worried. Pippa was the adult here, the Headmistress — it was her job to reassure Mildred, and not the contrary. 

"Mildred, please, tell me what's happening."

The girl looked behind her, checking the door, covering part of the light coming from the lantern a trembling hand. 

"We... we don't know where Miss Hardbroom is!" she whisper-shouted.

Pippa felt a tinge of dread spread somewhere inside her. This was nothing like Hecate — not then, and surely not now. 

"She... I think... I think the Great Wizard is after her."

The witch frowned, biting her lip as the girl struggled to find her next words.

"Mildred. I need you to tell me exactly what happened." she said. "Everything."

"I— I don't know!" Mildred said a bit too loudly, turning to check once more on the door as soon as she realized her mistake. "I only saw Miss Hardbroom flying away on her broom with the Great Wizard and his guards after her."

"Anything else?"

Mildred shook her head, ready to repeat everything, to hack her head, to promise that she would ask around and investigate until she found something — anything that could help Miss Hardbroom.

But someone else was quicker.

Slamming the door on the wall, a man walked in the room. Pippa almost wasn't able to recognize the Great Wizard's crest on his coat as he made his way to the mirror, but when the light from the lantern hit his chest, she saw it. And it didn't take long to put it all together.

She opened her mouth to protest, but it was too late. 

The only one left was her own reflection, staring up at her with furrowed brows and an open mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In desperate times, Hecate goes to the first person that comes to mind.

Hecate clenched her teeth, letting the pain follow the movement as she urged her broom to go quicker. Her limbs were sore and there was a dull throb on her head that refused to go away. Her own blood was everywhere, smearing her clothes, covering the wounds that stretched over her skin.

It was too much. Her head was swimming in pain, drowning a bit more each time she dared to move, at each hit of the wind. But it wasn't like she had a choice — stopping there would be the same as accepting death.

Hecate looked behind her for what might have been the seventh time since missing the guards, her wariness as strong as ever, despite the pain. She hadn't meant to run away. And she surely wouldn't have done such a thing if there had ever been another option available. But when a horde of guards declared out loud that she was an enemy of the Great Wizard and started throwing spells her way, instinct took over and Hecate fled.

She wasn't sure whether to regret it or not, but a part of her insisted that she wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the disobedience she so much dreaded.

Finally, she could she Pentangles. She had no idea where Pippa's quarters were located, but she remembered her friend telling her about the lovely view she had from her room, as she tried to coax Hecate to pay her a visit.

It took her a few windows to get it right, but when she saw a blonde woman perched over a chair, seeming to be ready to pounce over the mirror in front of her, she took a deep breath and ordered her broom to stop.

Two knocks and Pippa was on her feet, gasping, running towards her.

She opened the window and Hecate entered the room, preparing to get off her broom as fell. The floor got closer and closer, until Pippa caught her, cradling the woman to her chest almost forcefully.

Hecate winced, the pressure on her wounds boosting the sting.

"Pipp... Pippa, stop."

She loosened her grip, giving her an apologetic look as she retreated.

"Sorry, Hicc—"

"That's not it. I—" Hecate cringed, curling her arms over her stomach and bending herself as the pain took over. Apparently, speaking also hurt. Wonderful.

"Hecate!"

She felt Pippa by her side, her protective hand over her shoulder — hesitant, and yet caring. 

Pippa helped her up. Her movements weren't at all gentle. Frantic, maybe. Somewhere between careful and distressed. Definitely not calm.

"I— I will go get the nurse. It won't take long."

"Pippa! Pippa, no!" she threw herself at the woman, barely being able to stand up by herself, but still gripping her arm fiercely.

She didn't want the Wizard t know Pippa was helping her. Even if it became known that she had visited Pippa, she could always claim to have been tricked, maybe even not to have seen Hecate.

That wouldn't be possible if there was a witness.

"No nurses," she said. "Just bring the potions and a few bandages. I will handle it myself."

"But— "

Hecate faced her.

"Please."

Pippa frowned. She got rid of the grip and sat her friend down on the sofa quietly. When she was almost out of the door, she turned to her.

"I will be back soon."

True to her word, Pippa didn't take long. She dropped the bandages on the couch and put down the vials one by one, taking a look at Hecate whenever she got the chance.

The woman reached for the last of the potions, the one Pippa had just finished putting down, and had her trembling hand softly smacked away by the witch.

"We need to get you out of these clothes first. And then I will heal you."

Her stance changed instantly, showing off a kind of poise that wasn't fit to someone who was literally bleeding to death. But a look at Pippa was more than enough to let her know that it wouldn't be an easy fight. Her shoulders sagged.

"Very well." she surrendered.

With a snap of her fingers, Pippa put her in simple pants and a loose blouse. Hecate had overheard a few girls call it a tank top, but she wasn't sure if that was the right name for it. 

It served its purpose, anyway. Hecate's arms were exposed for Pippa to heal, and when it was time, her friend got on her knees and lifted the shirt to expose her midsection, glancing nervously at Hecate as she bared her skin.

She handed her a purple vial and got a smaller one for herself, spreading it's content over the wounds as soon as a nod of approval was given. Pippa massaging her skin gently, pursing her lips as the woman hissed over her.

At one point, Hecate was breathing heavily, clawing the edges of the couch as she squeezed her eyes shut. When the hands stopped, she whimpered.

"Let's take a break." 

"No. I— "

"Hecate, I refuse to— " she huffed, placing her hand once again on her friend's shoulder. She looked her over, inspecting the all the cuts, the droplets of blood around the wounds she had just closed, the bloody rags around her body, all over the cushions. "We can't go on like this, Hecate. You can barely hold yourself together!".

"It's not my fault I'm like this." She spews out.

"I..." Pippa's shoulders went up and then dropped. She softened. "I know... Hiccup. But I won't let you hurt yourself. There's no need to hurry."

Before Hecate could objectify, she added.

"We have time." Pippa reassured her.

Hecate bit the inside of her cheek in frustration, positioning herself to get up, but still not moving. She didn't know how much they had left.

"Pippa, I'm being chased."

"I know."

Her eyes widened, and she fell back on the couch. Pippa took a seat by her side, not bothering to keep the distance. 

"Mildred told me." she continued. "She mirrored me and said the Great Wizard was after you. I don't know what's happening, but I'm sure it's no more than a misunderstanding."

Hecate stared at her dumbfoundedly, in a mix of affliction and surprise. The witch was being far too positive for her liking, and she doubted it would end well. For both of them.

And so she got up, gathered the rest of the potions on the bloodied dress Pippa had discarded, wrapped it up and started making her way to the window.

"Hecate, stop." Pippa chased her. "We will solve this. Running away will solve nothing."

The woman kept walking, ignoring the steps following her. Until her wrist was caught, that is.

"Hecate, hear me out." she insisted, coming to stand before her.

"Pippa. Let me go."

"Don't be stubborn! What do you intend to do, then? You can't run away forever!" Pippa stated the obvious, as if she was expecting Hecate to only then find a loophole in her own deeds.

Hecate wanted to tell her. To explain that she would only wait for the dust to settle, for the guards to lose her for long enough to give up and allow her to reach out for someone to help her communicate with the Wizard. For a chance to defend herself and figure out why any of this was happening in the first place without risking being killed.

But that was not the time.

Before Pippa could say anything else, she cradled her face and eyed her seriously, urging the woman to actually hear her for once. 

"Pippa, I need you to listen."

"But—"

In any other circumstance, she would be too mortified to be this forward, to disregard personal space this much, but Pippa's life was on the line and she wasn't willing to risk that.

"I need you to listen." She could swear the other witch was blushing, but it was probably her imagination. "If anyone finds out that I was here, tell them I told you I was attacked while gathering ingredients."

"Hecate, let me—"

She covered her lips with a finger, almost blushing herself.

"Don't defend me. Play the fool and act surprised, but don't say anything that might compromise you."

Pippa put her hands over hers and looked took them down, holding Hecate's hands in the space between the two of them. It was a bit awkward, and it was clear that they weren't that close, that they weren't the kind of friends who usually did things like this. But it made both of them slow down.

"Let me help you."

Hecate took a deep breath.

"Pipsqueak, don't."

Suddenly, the doors were pushed open with a wave of magic. There stood at least seven guards, all with that damned crest on their chests.

Hecate hoped on the broom, opening the window with a small gesture. She wasn't strong enough to put on a barrier between the guards and herself — at least not yet. She wasn't fully healed.

She prepared herself for the blows as she commanded the broom to float, but an invisible wall made itself present at the last moment.

"Pippa, you fool." she muttered quietly, for no one else to hear. Her eyes connected with the other witch's and she shook her head subtly. Pippa ignored it.

"Miss, step aside." one the guards said, taking a step forward. "We are operating under orders from the Great Wizard."

The woman smiled instead, clearly intending to de-escalate the situation.

"Please, let's all sit down and talk." she clasped her hands together. "I'm sure it's all product of a misunderstanding. There's no need for violence."

"We won't repeat ourselves, Headmistress. Step aside."

It was then that Pippa pointed out how out of line the whole ordeal was and promised that it wouldn't end well for the group of wizards, unless they agreed to lay down their staffs and let her call for a meeting with the council. As proved by the next events, it wasn't a good move — if there even was one good way to deal with situations like this one.

The window closed with a loud snap, and the power of at least seven wizards equipped with refined staff broke the barrier down in seconds. The men marched towards the witches, and Hecate felt her blood grow cold.

When she looked at Pippa, she had a scared look on her face, arm already extended.  
The window was opened with a blow and the staff went up again, half of them aiming the original runaway, and the other half directed at the pink witch.

"Pippa!"

Without thinking, Hecate changed the direction of her broom, and, either by luck or doom, Pippa seemed to caught up immediately.

Under a rain of magic bolts, the pair of witches escaped through the hole on the wall, leaving a stream of destruction behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the prologue was so short, I decided to post this one sooner.
> 
> It will be adressed later how they knew where Hecate was.
> 
> ... anyone there?
> 
> See you on the next chapter o/


End file.
